Hapjeong cocktail bar for an off-menu Rusty Nail after dinner: Rosetta

We'd just had dinner in Hongdae and Hapjeong and were stuffed, so I wondered: is there a nice place for a light cocktail or whisky, no food needed?!! That's how I found Rosetta! The vibe was great, and the range of cocktails and whiskies was huge. This is my story of Rosetta, a Hapjeong cocktail bar.

Where is Rosetta near Hapjeong Station, and what's the vibe?

Rosetta is a cocktail bar at 35 Eoulmadang-ro 5-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul (1st floor), 393m from Hapjeong Station Exit 3. It's easy to reach from Hongdae, Hapjeong or Sangsu, and it's open every day from 6pm until 5am the next morning. For parking, you're told to call before you visit.

I've been around Hapjeong a lot and thought, was there really such a nice place here all along? From the outside, Rosetta feels just like a bar abroad. Plenty of foreign tourists visit, so there's apparently staff who can help in English too!

Is Rosetta's terrace okay in summer?

Once the weather cools down a bit, having a drink at these terrace tables outside Rosetta would be so nice. The day I visited was humid and hot, so everyone was inside, haha.. My boyfriend and I were way too hot, so we headed into the cool indoors!

Inside Rosetta: from solo bar seats to a room for 9

Inside Rosetta there are bar seats where drinking solo feels comfortable, plus a private room that fits up to 9 people..!! It was fairly busy, so I couldn't photograph everything, but the space is wide and clean, so it seemed perfect for a date or a group get-together.

Rosetta's menu: the art cocktail series and the regular menu

Rosetta's signature art cocktail series has its own menu, with a famous painting next to each name, so it felt like looking at an art collection rather than a drink list, hahaha. The descriptions are very detailed, with ingredients and taste notes, so even people who don't know cocktails can pick easily.

The regular menu has the classic cocktails you know and a wide range of whiskies. There are plenty of snacks to go with your drinks too!

• Rosé mac and cheese
• Butter-roasted baby potatoes with jamón
• Sweet pumpkin chorizo gnocchi
• Orange prosciutto salad
• Burrata cheese with peach and tomato
• Cuttlefish ragu linguine

Four drinks, no snacks, at Rosetta

Once you're seated, Rosetta brings out snacks and water as standard. A bartender walks around now and then to refill the water.

Art cocktail Madame X: a wine cocktail with edible perfume spritzed on

First I ordered Madame X from the art cocktail series, a wine cocktail that came with an edible perfume with rose and hibiscus scents. Spritzing a little of the perfume onto the wine cocktail as you drink made the rose and hibiscus blend together so well, and it smelled lovely.

Madame X is a wine cocktail whose mood matches the painting on the menu perfectly. It's tasty on its own, but enjoying it as part of the art series felt even more special, haha

Can you order cocktails that aren't on Rosetta's menu?

Yes! At Rosetta, if you ask the bartender, they'll whip up cocktails that aren't on the menu. I wanted a Rusty Nail but couldn't see it on the menu, so I asked and they made it for me, haha. Such a good bittersweet cocktail!

Sharing one glass of Hibiki between two

And then there's the whisky I'm totally into lately~~ Hibiki! Rosetta had it, so I ordered one glass to sip and share with my boyfriend. Hibiki really does have such a fresh, lovely aroma bb

Palate-cleanser cocktail Summer Sunshine: gimbugak first, then the cocktail

Really the last one! To cleanse my palate I wanted something tangy and sweet, so I ordered the Summer Sunshine. It's a cocktail made to evoke summer sunlight, and they recommended eating the gimbugak (crispy seaweed chip) on top first, then taking a sip. It tasted refreshing, just like summer sun!! It's fizzy, and the pear, yuja (citron) and lemongrass together really bring to mind sunlight on a summer day, haha

Is Rosetta a good date bar in Hongdae and Hapjeong?

Rosetta is clean, spacious and has a classy atmosphere. I recommend it as a spot for a date or get-together in Hongdae and Hapjeong :)